Maximum Willpower: How to master the new science of self-control, by Kelly McGonigal; Willpower: Rediscovering Our Greatest Strength, by Roy F Baumeister and John Tierney – review

Who can resist the temptations of our times? If you can you've got it made, say two books on the importance of willpower. By Carole Cadwalladr

How I remember: The pianist

Joanna MacGregor says that when memorising music it is important to develop your intellectual memory rather than relying on your muscle equivalent

What are memories made of?

Neuroscientists have discovered that memories migrate between different regions of the brain, but what do they actually consist of?

How to maximise your memory

Forget rote learning, one of the best ways to commit something to memory is to think of associated images – the more outlandish, the better

How I remember: The taxi driver

Peter Allen on how London taxi drivers learn the names of the city's 25,000 streets, and the quickest routes between them

Can memory improve with age?

As we grow old, our memory starts to fail. Or does it? While some degeneration is inevitable, research has shown that parts of the brain actually improve with age, writes Jon Simons

How I remember: The bridge player

Professional bridge player Heather Dhondy explains the important role memory plays in her sport

Shared memories and the problems they cause

We tend to think of our memories as unique and personal, but they are in fact shaped – and even shared – by those close to us

Memory in the digital age

With its unlimited capacity to store information, we should celebrate the internet's ability to enhance our collective social memory

How I remember: The lifelogger

Gordon Bell records much of his life on a specially developed camera, which can be used to remember where you left your keys